Kouma Shōkan: Swirling War
by pain17ification
Summary: Three years have passed since Naruto left to restore Uzu! Now, the island village is nearly restored, and Naruto is continuing to act in the best interests of his people as Uzukage! However, dark forces have also been building over the years and war is on the horizon! Will Naruto and his companions be able to handle the impending future? Sequel to Kouma Part 1! Strong Naru/Marem!
1. Chapter 1: Whirlpool's Rebirth

**Here we are! The first chapter of the sequel to **_**Kouma Shōkan: The Whirling Maelstrom**_**!**

**I hope that I can astound you all in a manner similar to the first part! Part One got so much good praise and I'll be sure to try my damndest to make Part Two just as great!**

**So, without further ado, I give to you all **_**Kouma Shōkan: Swirling War**_**!**

**Please note that I own nothing but this story idea!**

**X-x-X-x-X**

_Kouma Shōkan: Swirling War_

_Chapter One: Rebirth of the Whirlpool Nation_

**X-x-X-x-X**

A cool ocean breeze blew across the shore of a large island, swaying the blades of grass and tree leaves that rested past the sandy beach. Along with this, the sun had risen high enough for the ocean waters to be bathed in its glow, making it shimmer brightly. This was accompanied by small children running and playing on the sandy shore along with small equine creatures with a sense of content peace.

Beyond the shore, grasslands led to a stone pathway that would guide one to the stone archway of a bustling village. Atop the archway, the greeting to travelers read "Welcome to Uzushiogakure" in bold writing along with the famous spiral of the Uzumaki Clan.

If one were to just stand at the archway and look into the village, they would see humans and larger sized equines walking together, bartering together, working together, and living together in harmony. A sense of calm and joy was in the air as the citizens of the village went about their day to day lives.

Traditional styled homes and buildings were erected over the years, each either housing a family or serving as an establishment for business. What's more was that some buildings were still in the process of being made, showing that the village was thriving and expanding.

In center square, the famous seal that was used by a brave Uzumaki was left untouched and blocked off by red ropes while a statue rested atop the seal's center. The statue depicted an orb with various spiral designs resting atop rising waters with waves licking the bottom of the orb. A plaque was seen outside of the red ropes which read the famous Creed of the Uzumaki Clan: _Family over Pride, Family over Glory, Family over All_.

These were merely some of the sights that a violet unicorn witnessed as she walked through the village streets with a small dragon on her back and a clipboard levitating beside her. She smiled as she saw the happy looks of the citizens – both human and pony alike – and she couldn't help but feel a sense of gratefulness to the one that had made this all possible.

For the longest time she, her friends, and the princesses that governed their race had all hoped for the day that ponies would once again live amongst humans in the home of their ancestors. And from what she had seen, that hope had been fulfilled and it was all thanks to a man that had become very precious to her.

She was just passing a small construction site when she noticed a familiar face. "Tazuna-san," she greeted, making an elderly man in a construction uniform turn to her.

"Ah, Twilight-san," he greeted back with a smile. "Checking up on our progress?"

"You know me well. How long do you estimate this section of the village to need until completion?"

"Well, this is the fourth building we've been raising up this week. Then we need to set up the internal pieces like plumbing and the like. After that, it's just painting and finishing touches. How many buildings were needed here again?"

Twilight hummed slightly in thought as she recalled the answer. "This section needed four homes and two business buildings."

"Then we should be done with everything by the end of the month," answered the man, making Twilight nod and leave the human back to his work while she headed into town.

**X-x-X-x-X**

In another section, there were fields of crops and orchards that covered a large part of the island. It was thanks to the climate that the crops and trees were able to grow so well, along with the caring hands and hooves of the farmers that maintained them.

Leading this sector was an orange earth pony mare with a blonde mane and a Stetson hat. She kept a watchful eye on how the workers fielded the crops and was pleased that they were as careful as ever. She took great pride in these fields, seeing them as helpful to her new home and the dream of her most precious person.

Remembering the day he gave her the job of leading this sector always made her smile. It showed that he had the utmost trust in her decision and control, and she would not betray that trust.

"Alright y'all, let's move to the next row!" she called as she and her fellow workers moved down the line.

**X-x-X-x-X**

In a third sector of the island, there was a yellow pegasus mare with a smooth pink mane and a peaceful demeanor, if not incredibly shy. This sector had plenty of forestation and also housed various animals that had been migrated to the island. It was because of her unnatural skill with animal care that she had been given charge of the forests and migration.

While nervous about the responsibility at first, she quickly realized that it was the same as back in Ponyville, only it was for her new home. She loved her job and the animals that were in her care. It gave her a sense of purpose and pride as she contributed to the island village.

A butterfly landed on her nose and flapped once, making her giggle before it flew off. She watched it go with a smile before she went to check on the other animals.

**X-x-X-x-X**

Within the shopping district of the village, there was a boutique that was both larger and more extravagant than the one a certain white unicorn had back in Ponyville. With her designing skills needed for a whole new race of creature, she had to expand and she enjoyed every second of it.

She had originally only made clothes for her friends' human transformations and for the man she had given her heart to. However, seeing her designs so appreciated and in high demand gave her an incredible sense of pride. Her style was both functional and stylish, making it a perfect blend for any customer needing clothes.

"And there we are, darling. You look fabulous!" she declared as another customer stepped out in a beautiful green sundress that left her husband blushing at how it accentuated her beauty. The woman turned to the pony and bowed in gratitude before she paid and left with her husband. The unicorn smiled as she watched them leave, happy that she had another satisfied customer.

**X-x-X-x-X**

Sounds of cheer and joy were heard as a party was being held in the backyard of someone's home. Entertaining the human kids, colts, and fillies was a pink coated mare with a poofed up mane and a wacky smile. She had her face painted much like that of a clown as she performed acts of silliness that left the others laughing and having a good time.

She was doing what she loved most, and that was giving others joy and laughter. It was just like back home, except now she had a wider range in her audience/clientele which excited her more than worried her. The children loved her antics and the parents of said children were grateful that she could make them laugh and smile so much.

"Okey Dokey Lokey, who's ready for balloon animals?!" she called out excitedly, making the children all cheer as the mare pulled out the needed supplies. It was just another day of laughter for her.

**X-x-X-x-X**

Within the island caverns, a chocolate skinned woman with deep cerulean hair, a crown with a horn, and translucent cyan wings stood before her subjects. She was dressed in a dark green kimono that was held together by a cyan obi. Ever since she had been redeemed by her savior, she had been unable to assume a transformation into a changeling much like her subjects, but she did not mind in the slightest.

He saw her as beautiful and he had done so much for her and her people. As long as she had him, she was happy and was more than pleased to serve. Her subjects had been put in charge of village security while she herself was put in charge of the teaching staff of the village's Academy.

She had been given the opportunity to help mold young minds and raise younglings into ninja that would faithfully serve the island village. While humans would become ninja, the ponies that entered the Academy would be raised into becoming members of the Summon Contract. Currently, the Academy had quite a few students who would one day serve the village well.

"You all know your duties," she stated to them, making the changelings nod. "Then you're dismissed." As soon as they all left, she herself made her way to the Academy for another day of teaching.

**X-x-X-x-X**

Two redheaded women were seen sitting on one of the docks that surrounded one of the island beaches. They were dressed in red body suits that had black flak jackets over them with the symbol of Uzu on the back. Both had their village plate stitched into their left sleeves while one wore a wrapped skull cap and the other wore a pair of glasses.

"Who do you think will win this time?" asked the one in glasses.

"Hell if I know," replied the other as she pulled out a silver flute and began to polish it. "They've always been evenly matched."

The spectacled one nodded with a small smile as she looked across the waters, watching two figures racing at speeds high enough to kick up waves. If one had good enough vision, they'd see that one of the figures was a cyan blue pegasus with a rainbow colored mane. She had a grin on her face as she raced against an alicorn with a dark orange coat, spiky blonde mane, and whisker marked cheeks.

Both swerved and raced around many of the erected rocks that broke through the ocean surface, adding natural defense to the island village. They were neck and neck as they moved around the last rock formation and sped toward shore. Without losing speed, they both turned to look at one another with matching grins before the pegasus shot forward with a sonic boom of rainbow color that pushed the alicorn's flight path of course. As a result, the cyan mare won the race and began doing loops in the air in celebration.

While she was celebrating, the alicorn landed on the docks next to the two redheads and gave off a bright glow as he transformed into a human male. He was quite tall at six feet and had wild blonde hair that spiked erratically and fell to his shoulders. He wore a dark blue-gray robe with grey lining, a fur collar, and a tattered gray-blue cape emblazoned with his clan symbol. Under the robe, he wore no shirt, fingerless opera-length black gloves wrapped in studded red-brown leather straps, baggy black pants with a red belt, and red-brown sandals. To finish it off, there was a white mask with the appearance of a fox on the face with three ringed eyes that were colored red; though it was currently attached to the belt. (1 &amp; 2)

"Damn… Didn't think she'd use a **Sonic Rainboom** on me," grumbled the man as he made his way to town with the redheads in tow.

"Heh, she got you pretty good there, shithead," teased the flute wielding redhead.

"Screw you, Tayuya-nee," fired back the blonde.

"Now now, Naruto-kun," admonished the other redhead. "No need to be grumpy just because the score between you and Dash is 31-30."

"Do you have to remind me about that, Karin-nee?"

"Yep," answered the woman without missing a beat. "Anyway, the Mizukage should be here by now to discuss the treaty between Kiri and Uzu."

"I assume Celestia-hime and Luna-hime will greet and talk with her first?"

"That's what we should expect. Though, you should still probably hurry up so that you don't come off as a second coming of your old sensei."

Naruto rolled his deep blue eyes with a chuckle. Truly, the world did not need another chronically late person like Hatake Kakashi. "Right right… I'll be heading off then," he stated before he left in a swirl of snowflakes.

As soon as he left, Rainbow Dash landed beside the two Uzumaki women and asked, "Kage business?"

Karin nodded. "Yea, he's left to meet with the new Mizukage to finalize the treaty. We'll most likely receive something special since we offered the rebels plenty of resources for their war effort."

Dash hummed thoughtfully. "So what, you think we'll get training methods or even a few ninja or something?"

"Most likely, but we'll just have to wait and see."

**X-x-X-x-X**

As soon as Naruto arrived in his office, he moved to the desk that had been made for him by Applejack with her Mokuton. It was a congratulatory gift for when he took up the office as Uzukage of the village. When he sat, he composed himself before he fluxed his chakra slightly, letting the two alicorn princesses know he was ready.

Stepping inside his office were said princesses, Celestia of the Sun and Luna of the Moon. Following them was a slender woman with russet red hair that fell to her legs and covered half her face. She was dressed in a blue battle robe with armored sandals and the hat of the Mizukage.

Beside her were two guards; a young man who carried a large bandaged object and a nervous demeanor and an older man who had a powerful eye covered by a patch. They stood diligently behind her as she gave the blonde Kage a respectful bow.

"I appreciate you having me here in your village, Uzukage-sama."

"Please don't be so formal. I can tell you hate things like that and so do I. Just call me Naruto."

The woman smiled with a gleam in her eye at his words. "Very well, Naruto-_kun_. Then I insist that you call me Mei; or even Mei-chan if you prefer."

Naruto chuckled at this and waved for her to sit. Once she did, he immediately went to business. "So, I'm pleased that we will finally be able to finish up the treaty between our nations. Given how we both reside within Mizu no Kuni, it seems fitting that we act as the sibling villages we are meant to."

"I couldn't agree more," stated Mei with a less flirtatious smile. "It will be nice to have some support while we rebuild. I also am eternally grateful for the aid your village gave us since I can see you're still in the midst of rebuilding yourself."

"I'm just glad you were able to stop Yagura from continuing his actions. From what you told me, he would never have done something like that on his own." He gave her a small scowl as he asked, "He's just incarcerated, right? I'd hate to see a brother of mine killed for something that was most likely out of his control."

The woman nodded seriously. "Yes, he's currently locked in a cell within the Mizukage building with his chakra sealed. He seems to have regained some clarity and cannot remember anything that has happened in the past years."

Naruto frowned at this, trying to figure out who could control a Jinchuriki so easily without their knowledge. "I'd appreciate a time alone with him, Mei-san. I think I'll be able to figure everything out once I meet and speak with him."

"If you truly believe you can, then I will see what I can do. Now, I believe we should finalize this treaty of ours." At his nod, she pulled out a white scroll and slid it across the desk toward him. "As requested, everything we have concerning the Yuki Clan. I have also informed Ameyuri about the offer of joining your village and she has accepted. She's still surprised that you're an Uzumaki and have two others alongside you."

"It was quite fortunate that I saved my two sister clan members and that they rejoined into the clan. Having Ameyuri join, even with her clan blood diluted, is a gift. We welcome her with open arms just as we will with any other Uzumaki that may be alive today."

Mei nodded. "I see. And lastly, your idea of a Ninja Exchange Program seems very sound and quite revolutionary. I can see our two villages gaining quite some success if we implement this within the coming months or years."

"And from our end, we will help you rebuild and offer you quality seals to help your ninja forces. And with this treaty, we will both support one another if attacked by any other village."

"Agreed," declared the Mizukage before they shook and signed a Treaty Scroll that had been created by Celestia. "Well, I look forward to our new alliance, Naruto-kun. We'll be in touch."

"Of course," replied Naruto as he stood and bowed politely to her. after bowing back, she left his office with her two guards, leaving Naruto alone with the two princesses. "So, I think that went well."

"I believe so as well, Naruto-kun," agreed Celestia with a smile. "You've done well for a still relatively fresh Kage."

"Indeed," added Luna. "You handled that quite well. Though, there is still the matter of another meeting to deal with."

"Another meeting?" asked Naruto before the answer came to him. "Oh right, the meeting in Konoha. Kami, is that the time already?"

"Yes it is," Celestia answered, levitating a formal cloak and diamond shaped hat to the blonde. The hat was predominately black with an orange corner that had the kanji for "Uzu" in black.

Taking the two articles of clothing and putting them on, he headed for the door of his office. "Send for Karin and Tayuya, please," requested Naruto to Luna. "Tell them to meet me at the village docks and I'll fly us to Konoha."

Luna nodded and left to do as he requested. Celestia kept following him as he gave last minute orders to ensure that the rebuilding effort kept progress in his absence. She smiled at the respect his citizens gave him and how he consistently put their wellbeing above everything else. He had the makings of a true leader and she couldn't have been more proud to have him as a summoner of the Kouma.

Seeing him to the docks, she watched as he assumed his alicorn form – which was now as large as she and Luna were – while his two sister figures got on his back. "Be careful, Naruto-kun," she warned. "We're not entirely sure of how this meeting will go and this village cannot lose its Kage so soon."

"I'll keep that in mind, Celestia-hime. Take care of the village please with Luna-hime and the others," he answered, making her nod at his last request.

"Of course, now get going."

He nodded and took off at high speeds, shooting off in the direction of Konoha and disappearing on the horizon.

**X-x-X-x-X**

Konohagakure had endured three years of changes; most of them being positive while a handful were negative, depending on whom you asked. It was still a beautiful village full of bustling villagers and busy ninja forces, and the Will of Fire was still strong as well.

One of the smaller changes was the addition of the Godaime Hokage's face to the Kage Mountain, proudly showing that she is the village leader. Another change was how the past Genin had grown in the three years that had passed. Each one was now at least a Chunin with only one of them reaching Jonin status.

Those were small changes. Bigger changes were to the village's authority concerning the Council. No longer were civilians allowed in on ninja related affairs, but they still had some sway on concerns to village economy and other things consisting of civilian effort. Now, the Ninja Council consisted of the Clan Heads, Village Elders, and the Hokage with said leader having the final say in all matters.

Thinking on these past changes was the Godaime, Senju Tsunade. She sat at her desk with these thoughts and many others plaguing her mind while she absently dealt with paperwork. Beside her was her trusted student, Kato Shizune, who was helping her sort out papers into different piles.

"Today should be the day, right Tsunade-sama?" asked the younger woman, breaking the blonde from her thoughts.

She looked to the date before a small smile came to her face. "Yes, I suppose it should."

She turned in her chair and looked out the window behind her, gazing down at the village below with a serene smile as she awaited the arrival of someone important to her. Unknown to her, said person had just been allowed entrance into the village after presenting a scroll to the gate guards that bore the Hokage's personal stamp.

Walking through the streets calmly, Naruto peered from beneath his hat and smiled at the innocently smiling faces of the children as they ran and played while the adults went about their lives. He couldn't sense any negativity in the air, which was quite surprising since it was quite common in the past. A curious thought entered his mind and he leapt up high onto an electrical pole to get a higher vantage point, gazing to the mountain in the distance with a smile.

"Well, looks like they finally added baa-chan's face to the wall."

"Took them long enough," Tayuya commented with a smirk as she and Karin stood on the rooftop closest to him. "I was betting they wouldn't put it on 'til she kicked the bucket."

"Tayuya, we should show a bit more respect to our _elder_ clan member," admonished Karin, though she too made a crack at the Hokage.

The blonde Uzumaki rolled his eyes amusedly before he returned to the village streets and resumed walking towards the Hokage Office. He ignored the curious looks of the many villagers that turned to see him as he passed. It wasn't every day that someone dressed in robes befitting that of a Kage, after all.

One of the people who saw him was a familiar pinkette who had not changed all that much in appearance over the years. She merely looked older and more mature with the passing years; though one could give that credit mainly to Tsunade whipping her into shape. Her green eyes narrowed slightly as she began to tail the robed individual and the two redheads that seemed familiar to her.

However, she was unable to continue when a team of ANBU stopped the trio and began to escort them, causing many villagers to instinctively move aside as they passed. She didn't give up however and merely used a **Body Flicker** to appear in her leader/master's office. As soon as she did, she was met with a raised brow from said blonde.

"Yes, Sakura?" she asked.

"There's a robed person and two women being escorted here by ANBU."

"Yes, I'm well aware of that, Sakura, seeing as I issued that order. That individual is actually someone that I'm expecting in regards to a meeting that had been decided between us some time ago. I appreciate your concern, but it is unwarranted." Sakura reluctantly nodded at that, getting the hidden message that she wasn't allowed to witness the meeting. "Now, I believe your shift starts soon anyway. You'd better get moving."

Nodding again, the pinkette left in the same manner she had arrived just before the door to the office opened and the trio led by ANBU entered. "Hokage-sama," greeted the leader, Tiger, with a salute. "We've brought them as requested."

"Thank you. You're all dismissed now." They all saluted and left, allowing the woman to greet the robed individual with a smile. "So…Kage of a village, huh brat?"

A chuckle was heard as the hat was removed, showing Naruto's handsome features to the two Konoha kunoichi. Tsunade smiled a bit wider at how well he looked while Shizune had the faintest of blushes at how handsome her younger brother figure looked.

"It's been some time, hasn't it baa-chan?" returned Naruto. "I see you've been running the village well."

"I've had to whip some people into shape, but it's nothing I couldn't handle."

"I don't doubt you," he stated in agreement as she stood up and walked over to him. The two embraced in a hug befitting that of reunited family; which was actually spot on since they were both of Uzumaki blood. When they pulled back, he grinned widely at her and said, "I missed you, baa-chan…nee-chan."

"We've missed you too, brat. I'm so proud of what you've accomplished," she returned with a warm smile as she leaned up – due to him being taller now – to kiss his forehead. "The pervert kept me informed of what you've been up to, and I'm impressed at it all. Not many people can boast about restoring a village nearly to its former glory and reuniting two races together."

"Speaking of that old perv," Tayuya began with her arms crossed, "where the fuck is he?"

"Such crass language," commented a voice, making everyone turn to see said pervert on the windowsill. "It's definitely not helpful to your beauty."

Her rebuttal was a flying kick to his face that sent him out the window along with a yell of, "No one gives two shits about your opinion, you damn pervert!"

Naruto and Tsunade smirked while Karin and Shizune sighed in tandem before blinking. They both reread the situation before sweatdropping at how incredibly similar their positions were.

"Anyway," stated Naruto, getting the conversation back on track, "I believe we should get down to business."

"Yes, I suppose we should. Shizune, call in the Elders since they're opinions apparently matter in regards to treaties."

Shizune bowed and left, returning with said Elders about twenty minutes later. A small table had been brought into Tsunade's office in the meantime, allowing Naruto to sit on one end with his two personal guards – a position both women insisted on taking – stood behind him. on the other end, Tsunade sat with the Elders standing behind her.

"Well, this is quite the surprise," commented Koharu with a faint smile. "I never thought that the young boy who spouted so much about becoming Hokage would truly achieve the Kage position of another village."

"I believe this is poetic justice," added Homura. "It's his right to be in the position he is, considering his bloodline and his actions as of late."

Danzo made an agreeing sound as he stared at the blonde man. "Poetic justice indeed… It will be a relief to have one of Konoha's greatest allies in an alliance with us once more. I must congratulate you on your success, Uzukage-sama."

Naruto inclined his head in thanks to the praise. "Thank you, Danzo-san. It was difficult work, but Uzu is beginning to thrive once more."

"So, what exactly did you have in mind in regards to a more permanent alliance?" Koharu asked. "The village is already doing much better due to the sales of your seals. Mission success rates have dramatically increased and so has the interest in the study of fuinjutsu as well."

"I'm pleased to hear that. My intentions for the alliance would be both of our villages supporting one another should we have need of it. For our end, I will offer you crops from our island fields as well as a couple of new seals for the store here."

"That seems like a fair offer," commented Tsunade. "And for our end, we'll offer supplies, missions given to us by the daimyo, and some teaching methods for your Academy."

"If I may, I'd like to request one last thing in exchange for an act of service to your village, Hokage-sama."

The woman raised a brow in slight surprise at the formal request. "Go on…"

"I humbly request a Genin from your Academy for me to take under my wing personally as an apprentice of fuinjutsu," he declared, making the four Konoha members look surprised. "In exchange, I will offer you a seal to remove a certain snake's brand after demonstrating it on one of your kunoichi; though I'm sure you all know to whom I'm referring."

Tsunade was the first to compose herself and she cleared her throat to help ease her shock. "Y-You truly believe that you can successfully remove her seal?"

"Jiraiya may have kept an eye on me over the years whenever he could, but he wasn't there enough to see my progress in deciphering the Curse Mark. I've developed a seal that, with the use of someone with high chakra levels, will completely remove the mark's taint on the individual holding the seal. As an added bonus to my seal, it allows the little benefits that the seal gave the holder to remain as permanent changes. So, the strength, speed, reflexes, and everything else that increased with the Curse Mark's usage will no longer be risky and will stay active as if they had been achieved naturally," explained the Uzukage.

"T-That's astounding!" praised Homura. "With this seal, we should be able to recover the Uchiha when we find him!"

Naruto made no comment on that, honestly uncaring as to Sasuke's current status since the Uchiha chose that route. "So, do we have a deal, Hokage-sama? Elders?"

"I'd like to know who exactly you had in mind in regards to becoming your apprentice in exchange for this service," Danzo commented. "I'm sure you've already made a decision in regards to this, hm?"

"Observant of you, Danzo-san," calmly praised Naruto. "But to answer your question, my choice is…"

Meanwhile, in the Academy of Konoha, a young girl sitting in class felt a sense of a higher calling wash over her. Her pale eyes looked out the window and, for some reason unknown to her, looked toward the Hokage Tower. _'Curious… What could this feeling mean?'_ (3)

**X-x (End Chapter 1) x-X**

**1 &amp; 2~ Naruto is dressed as Menma with his blonde hair in the style of Kurosaki Ichigo after his time in the Dangai Precipice World  
3~ I hope everyone can figure out who this is!**

**There you go; the end of Chapter One! Man, I'm so excited as to how you all will take to this story! I just hope it's taken as positively as Part One was!**

_**Kouma Shōkan: Swirling War**_** is up and running, baby! WOO!**

**Please leave nice long reviews and I hope to see you all next time!**

**pain17ification**


	2. Chapter 2: Dealings and Plans

**Hi there! Now, I know this has been a LONG time coming and I'm EXTREMELY sorry…**

***ignores grumbles from audience and readers***

…**but here I am with the next installment of this **_**Naruto/MLP**_** sequel!**

**Please note that I own nothing but this story idea!**

* * *

_Kouma Shōkan: Swirling War_

_Chapter Two: Dealings and Plans_

* * *

Naruto sat calmly as he watched the looks of surprise on the faces of Homura and Koharu at the identity of his choice of apprentice. Tsunade had a raised brow, but it was mainly out of curiosity whereas Danzo showed no expression; not that Naruto expecting him to.

"Your choice is a potential clan heiress?" asked Homura. "What makes you think that we'd accept your choice, let alone her clan?"

"That isn't for me to deal with," answered the blonde calmly, interlacing his fingers in front of him as he leaned forward on the table he sat at. "I have given you my choice and I will accept no other. If you want me to give you the seal needed to remove the Curse Mark, then secure me my apprentice." He then leaned back in his chair with a polite smile as he added, "Of course, I won't deny Anko-san the freedom she's been seeking for years. I'll remove her seal regardless of what happens."

"You're playing a dangerous game, boy. You may be a Kage, but your village is still minor compared to the main five," Koharu stated with a frown.

"Oh, I haven't forgotten about that. However, I know that my seal will help your Uchiha, who you seem to _want_ back more than _need_ back." He stood up from his seat and waved to the window showing the village. "Look at your home, all of you. Look how much you've all prospered, and you didn't need the Uchiha to do it. Sure, they helped found the village with the First Hokage, but they later proved themselves to be unstable in terms of Itachi while Sasuke was _taken_ by Orochimaru."

"Your words aren't helping your case in securing your chosen apprentice, young Uzukage," Danzo noted, though he was internally impressed with how insightful he was.

"Oh, they aren't meant to help my case, Danzo-san. I'm merely trying to get the message through to your colleagues. Sasuke Uchiha – a _lone_ Uchiha – didn't help keep your village's prosperity over the passing years. You've improved and sustained yourselves for so long without him that the _need_ for him has dropped while the _want_ for him has taken its place."

"We will not forsake the Uchiha to a traitor!" argued Koharu. "For you to suggest we do so is an insult to us and our village's belief!"

"Ah yes… Your village's _Will of Fire_, which focuses on the camaraderie and support of the village and its citizens." His back was to them as he looked out the window, and Tsunade was a bit tense at his tone. "I grew up here and was taught this belief, y'know. And for most of my life, this philosophy seemed to keep me exempt…because of my status."

Homura and Koharu frowned at this while Danzo faintly rose a brow. "You were a citizen of the Leaf," replied Homura. "Of course our belief would apply to you."

"Would it really, Homura-san?" asked the Uzukage. "Or would fear take over and make people believe differently? People, both shinobi and citizen alike, only saw me as the fox and nothing else. That is not a Will of Fire, in my eyes." He then turned back to them, and the two elders took an involuntary step back at the sight of slitted blood red eyes. "Even now, the fear is there."

Tsunade took this moment to step in. "I know you deserved much better than you received, Naruto, but that's in the past. You're a leader now, and as a leader you can't let personal feelings get in the way of decisions for your people. Surely you realize this?" At his nod, she continued, "We'll speak to Hiashi about your request. In the meantime, I'll summon Anko for you so you could get to work."

The blonde nodded once more as his eyes returned to normal. "Of course. I'll head over to the hospital to wait. Hopefully Hyuuga-sama will be understanding about this."

With that, he left with Tayuya and Karin, prompting Koharu to turn to the blonde Hokage. "He presumes too much about our people. Surely not _all_ of them treated him unjustly?"

Danzo tapped his cane with a slight frown. "You've become inobservant over the years, Koharu. Anyone who watched the boy as he grew up here could see the mistreatment he had received. He's a Jinchuriki, and we all know how they are viewed."

"…Weapons or monsters," muttered Tsunade softly. "Not many are lucky enough to be related to a Kage like the Hachibi container. Regardless, we have already made our trade agreements and this request was just a bonus opportunity."

"Yes," agreed Danzo, "and it is one that would benefit us both. At any rate, I can honestly say that the idea of a Main House Hyuuga trained in the art that caged their branch members is intriguing to me."

* * *

Naruto walked through the streets of the Hidden Leaf, ignoring the looks of surprise on the faces of many citizens as they witnessed his return. Tayuya and Karin stayed behind them, giving sidelong glances to the people as they watched the blonde Uzumaki and whispered about him.

"You'd think they had nothing better to do," commented Tayuya in annoyance.

"To some, they don't. All they have to look forward to is commenting on others," Karin noted. "It's quite pitiable really."

Tayuya scoffed at that. "They don't need pity; they need to mind their own damned business."

"Enough," Naruto cut in. "It's not our place to comment on the lives of others. Don't sink to their level."

The two redheads nodded, but they also noticed that some of the villagers had heard Naruto's words and looked insulted by them. The dirty glances and rude comments grew at that, but the Uzukage ignored them in favor of watching where he was going.

"Naruto? Is that you?" came a familiar voice, making him turn and see Ino Yamanaka stepping out of her family's shop. "Oh wow, it _is_ you! It's been so long!"

He blinked in surprise when she suddenly engulfed him in a hug, though his brow twitched when he saw his sister figures snickering at him. "Yes, it's been a while Ino. How are you?"

"I'm great! I'm gonna take my Jonin test soon, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed. But how've you been? What's with the fancy robe?"

"It's because he's the head of a village now," answered Karin, making the Yamanaka turn to her. "You were just hugging our Uzukage, blondie."

"Kage?" she asked, turning to Naruto, who lifted up his hat as proof. "Wow… You always said you were going to be Hokage, though. What happened to that?"

"I rebuilt my ancestral village and was elected as Kage," answered Naruto. "So, I'm now the Kage of the Hidden Whirlpool Village."

Ino watched as he had a look of pride on his face, but it wasn't arrogant at all. He was proud to be a leader now after years of declaring he would be one. This brought a small smile to her face and she replied, "Good for you, Naruto. I'm sure you're a great Kage to your village."

"He's been doing okay so far," commented Tayuya with a playful smirk. "Still, not many people could say they helped end a civil war and establish a treaty with the rebellion's leader."

"Yes, I'm glad that our village's seals proved detrimental to saving the Hidden Mist," Naruto agreed. "Now, I'm sorry to cut this little reunion short Ino, but I'm meeting Lady Hokage at the hospital."

He bid her farewell with a simple wave as he continued to walk followed by his fellow Uzumaki. Ino stared at his back as he walked, surprised at how tall he stood both physically and spiritually. He had the stance and stride of a leader, one who could rally others and guide them to a brighter future.

This brought a smile to her face as she turned and went back into her family shop, determined to let the others know their old friend was back.

* * *

"For fuck's sake, how long are we supposed to wait?" grumbled Tayuya after half an hour of sitting in an empty patient room. "I thought they'd move things along considering what the hell you're doing for them."

Naruto chuckled softly as he leaned against a wall with his arms crossed. "This village is much bigger than ours, Tayuya-nee. They don't have the efficient luxury of being placed closer together. Besides, they're here."

He was proven correct when the door opened and Tsunade walked in followed by a woman with dark violet hair pulled back in a fan-like tail. She had brown eyes that had no visible pupils and she wore armored shin guards, an orange skirt, and a mesh shirt covered by a long tan trench coat. Her Hidden Leaf headband rested proudly on her forehead while a dango stick was held in her mouth.

She blinked at the sight of Naruto, who offered her a smirk in return. "Long time no see, eh Snake Lady?"

She smirked back at his greeting. "I'll say, you little brat. Well, look at you! I honestly thought Lady Tsunade was kidding when she said you were leading a village."

"Yes, the Hidden Whirlpool thrives once again; as do our seals," he noted, holding up a tag for emphasis. "Like this one, for example: a Purification Tag, which was made to counter Curse Marks."

Anko's eyes went wide in shock at that, zeroed in on the tag and nothing else. "Kid… You mean that…?"

He nodded and pushed off of the wall he was leaning on, stepping up to her and turning her around. "Brace yourself, Anko. This will hurt…a lot." With that, he pulled her collar back enough to present the Curse Mark. His eyes narrowed into a frown at the sight before he placed the tag over her seal and held up a half ram seal. "**Purification Seal: Release**!"

Outside the patient room they all were in, spectators saw a brilliant blue light from the slit between the door and the floor, and following it was a scream of sheer agony that made everyone cringe in sympathy.

* * *

His arms were crossed behind his back as he looked down at Anko's resting form. The only sign of the seal at work was a small burn mark where her Curse Mark once rested. "It never stops impressing me…"

"What's that?" asked Tsunade as she made sure to hook up a fluids bag to the Special Jonin.

"The sheer willpower she possesses. I've only met Anko a couple of times, but in those few moments I saw a will to go on despite everything. It reminded me of myself and I felt a sort of kinship to her." He smiled and turned to face the busty Hokage. "I'm glad I was a part of her liberation."

She smiled back as she led him out of the room and back to her office. Once there, she greeted the Hyuuga Head with a respectful nod that was returned. "Lord Hiashi," greeted Tsunade.

"Lady Hokage," he greeted in turn. "You summoned me?"

"Yes, and it concerns a request that was made of the new Uzukage."

He looked slightly surprised at that. "The Whirlpool lives again?"

"Indeed it does," cut in Naruto as he made his presence known, "thanks to the efforts of myself and many others."

"The irony of it all," noted Hiashi with an amused shake of his head. "This village's outcast has restored our lost ally and became its leader. I suppose I should congratulate you, Lord Uzukage." The blonde Uzumaki nodded in thanks. "What exactly is this request of yours?"

"Your daughter Hanabi," he answered in total seriousness. "I request to take her under my wing as my apprentice. In exchange for a new student, I have offered the seal necessary to remove Orochimaru's Curse Mark."

Hiashi's eyes narrowed slightly. "Your barter is a seal to bring back the Uchiha then?"

"Believe me, I don't believe the Leaf needs him. But, it's what the elders desire in exchange. If it helps, I'll give your clan another seal that I used in the past." He gave a small smirk as he queried, "I take it you remember my Chakra Sword Seal?"

The Hyuuga Head slowly nodded. "Yes, it was a very innovative way to attack chakra like my clan's Gentle Fist style. You offer this when we have no need for it?"

"No need?" asked Naruto rhetorically, not losing his smirk. "Are you sure you wouldn't have a need for it, Lord Hyuuga? I can think of a few ways it will help, especially in terms of surprising your opponents. After all, who would expect a Hyuuga to attack chakra _without_ their taijutsu style?"

Tsunade was impressed at how Naruto was going about convincing Hiashi. He was appealing to the Hyuuga's desire to better his clan and their chances out in the field. _'Now, how will you respond, Hiashi?'_

The Hyuuga Head regarded Naruto, staring him down as the blonde merely smiled calmly. _'That seal would help, and he's got a point about its combative efficiency. But, he's asking me to allow him to teach my daughter. No doubt she'll need to go over to the Hidden Whirlpool with him.'_

He stood there in silence, not taking his eyes off of Naruto while Tsunade stood to the side quietly with Tayuya and Karin. Said Uzukage stood calmly as he stared back at the Hyuuga Head, not showing any weakness or signs of backing down.

"Tell me," began Hiashi, "why do you want a Hyuuga as your apprentice?"

Naruto thought over the question, slowly closing his eyes as he let out a soft sigh. "In truth, it was requested of me around a year back by your daughter, Hinata."

"Hinata sent to you?" asked Hiashi in surprise, though it was also a surprise to the three women in the room.

Nodding, the Uzukage continued, "She wrote to me a few times, actually. The first couple of times, she was mainly expressing concern over my wellbeing as a friend. However, later on she wrote a letter of confession in regards to her feelings for me." He sighed at this, remembering how much care he had seen in the letter's writing. "I…couldn't accept her feelings, and I told her so when I wrote back. After that, I didn't hear from her for around a month before I got another letter. In it, she wrote how she was once again being considered for the position of heiress and what would happen to either her or Hanabi should they not make the cut."

Hiashi frowned at this. "She told you that they'd be placed in the Branch House, as is our custom."

"Yes, and I didn't like the idea at all. No offense at all to your clan, but you treat those unlucky enough to be Branch Members as little more than slaves. Hinata felt the same, and she began researching ways out of this situation; mainly for her sister. The next letter she wrote was her plan; I'd take Hanabi as my apprentice which would protect her from being branded under some old clause that had been forgotten amongst your clan's library. Hinata would then, as the future Clan Head, strive and work for a unification of the two Branches, and she planned to do so with the help of Neji."

"So, all of this was to help my daughters?"

"…Yes, because I couldn't just let something unjust in my eyes happen that I _knew_ about," answered Naruto. "The only thing that could prevent this plan from happening is you, Lord Hyuuga. Should you deny Hanabi a place as my apprentice, then the plan fails and Hinata has to search for another way to save either herself or her sister." He finally opened his eyes, staring into the pale orbs of Hiashi with his cerulean ones as he asked, "So, what is your answer, Hiashi Hyuuga?"

Tsunade and the two girls turned to the Hyuuga Head as he thought over everything he had heard. He had seen no lie or deception in Naruto's eyes or tone; only truth. This helped earn the Uzumaki some respect in the man's eyes. He was also impressed with how far his eldest daughter was willing to go to protect her sister and herself from the customs of their clan; not to mention her goal of uniting the Branches to end the Caged Bird Seal.

Suddenly, it clicked. If Naruto was able to take Hanabi as his apprentice, and teach her the intricate art of fuinjutsu, then there would be a chance that a seal could be made to eliminate the Caged Bird one. If that were to happen, then there'd be no need for a separation of the clan. They'd all be untied into a single Branch, and would grow stronger from it.

Slowly, a smirk came to the man's face, followed by a small chuckle. "Impressive, really… To think that my daughter could come up with such a plan with you in the span of a couple of years. Should you succeed, I see a great change happening for my clan." He chuckled again, but this one was accompanied by a nod. "Yes, I believe I can see the merit in this. Very well then, Lord Uzukage, I will allow you to take my daughter as your apprentice."

Naruto smiled at the man's agreement and he bowed in gratitude. "Thank you, Lord Hyuuga."

"Just promise me one thing; that you'll keep her safe," sternly added Hiashi.

"Of course, sir," immediately agreed Naruto. "I'll make sure she stays safe and that she learns the skills needed to defend herself. You have my word."

Nodding, Hiashi made to leave the office. "I'll be back in a moment once I've retrieved my daughter." Before he left, he turned back to Naruto with a smirk and added, "You remind me of Kushina with your determination, young Uzumaki. I hope you keep it strong."

Naruto smirked back as the man left before he turned back to the three women. "Well, that was a bit tense, eh?"

"You think?!" asked Tayuya sarcastically. "By the Kami, I thought he was gonna lose it there for a second!"

Karin let out a sigh of relief. "I was so nervous… His chakra was so sharp and ready to strike, I was worried he'd lash out."

"If he did, I'd have been prepared," reassured Naruto as he showed them a seal on his right palm. "Anyway, the point is that he's now agreed and the plan Hinata made has a chance to really take off. We'll need to be careful from here on though. Both of our ends will be difficult since she is dealing with her entire clan and I'm teaching someone an art that could explode in their face…quite literally."

"Well brat, if anyone can teach fuinjutsu, it'd be you," Tsunade said with a supportive smile. "You'll be a great teacher."

"I hope so."

The door was then opened again and Hiashi came in with a young Hyuuga teen that was Genin age. She had long and dark brown hair, pale eyes associated with all Hyuuga, and wore a sleeveless blue V-neck shirt with mesh armor underneath and a tan vest over it. She also had on blue shorts and sandals with white bands around her wrists and ankles.

"Hanabi Hyuuga," greeted Naruto with a polite nod. "I doubt you know me, but I'm-"

"Naruto Uzumaki," she interrupted. "You used a seal to make a sword that acted like our Gentle Fist years ago against that sand using guy. I remember you, but why am I here and why don't you have Hidden Leaf attire? You're from this village, right?"

"Well, yes I was. However, I've become Kage of another village over the years after I restored the Hidden Whirlpool. As for why you're here, I requested to have you become my apprentice."

"Wait, _you're the_ Uzukage that Hinata-nee was telling me about? The one that could teach me fuinjutsu?"

He smirked and nodded. "I'm glad she told you the plan, but I won't just teach you fuinjutsu. There are other things that I believe you could find useful."

"Like…?" she pressed with her arms crossed, making him chuckle and wink.

"Oh now, _that_ would be telling," he admonished playfully. "At any rate, I'm glad that we'll be able to get things underway." He looked to Hiashi and nodded respectfully. "You have my thanks, Lord Hyuuga. I appreciate you trying to help us in this matter."

"Think nothing of it. I'm doing this for both my daughters and my clan," replied the man. "Just remember your word."

"Of course. Well, I believe our time here has been a great success. Hanabi will be able to write to you any time she wants, and I'll be sure to send weekly reports on her progress as well."

Hanabi then cut in and asked, "You mean we'll be staying at your village?"

"Yes, since it wouldn't do to be away from my people for so long. As I said, you'll be able to keep in touch with them, and our messenger will be sure to get your letters there quickly."

Tayuya leaned over to Karin and muttered, "At the cost of collateral damage." This made them both snicker, but they were shut up by the sharp look Naruto gave them.

"I hope you weren't making fun of Derpy _again_?" They quickly shook their heads. "You know she means well and that she _is_ the best messenger."

Cowed, they nodded and mumbled apologies. Tsunade bit back a smirk at seeing Naruto handle the other two Uzumaki. "Alright then, Naruto. We've already squared things up concerning our Trade Agreement, and we look forward to more camaraderie between our two villages."

He smiled at her and nodded. "As do I, Granny." His smile grew at her slight brow twitch. "C'mon, I couldn't come back here without saying it at least once, right?"

"Just go before I make a Kage-shaped hole in the wall!"

"And that, girls, is our cue to go! Keep up, Hanabi!" said Naruto as he rushed out via the window followed by a laughing pair of redheads.

Turning to her father, Hanabi asked with a raised brow, "_He's_ supposed to teach me?" He nodded with an amused look, making her sigh before she rushed out after the three Uzumaki. As she followed them, she watched as they conversed and talked, all three of them smiling and acting like they had been best friends for years.

In truth, Hanabi was quite jealous at the scene. Her family life was, to put it bluntly, screwed up. To see others, family members, being so happy and carefree around one another made her envy grow.

_'It'll all change, though,'_ she mentally assured herself. _'Once the plan nee-chan made goes through, then everything will get better…I hope.'_

A bird calling out caught her attention and broke her from her thoughts. Looking up, she saw that it was a bird that wasn't native to the Land of Fire, making her frown and stop.

"You noticed as well, huh?" asked Naruto, making her jump slightly as she saw he was standing next to her. "That bird is actually from the Land of Wind, and it's one of the faster breeds. Something's happened in the Hidden Sand, and they're asking the Leaf for aid."

"So, what does that mean for us?" asked Hanabi to her new teacher.

"Nothing for now, unfortunately. Unless either the Sand or the Leaf calls for us, then we aren't needed. Oh, that reminds me!" He reached into his pouch and pulled out a black cloth that had a metal plate with the Whirlpool insignia on it. "This is for you. Welcome to the Hidden Whirlpool, Hanabi Hyuuga."

She stared at the headband and slowly reached out for it. Gently, she wrapped her fingers around it and looked at the swirling symbol on the plate.

"The Whirlpool represents both Harmony and Discord," explained Naruto. "The waters flow with each other in a natural and harmonious way, but it causes discord for those foolish enough to underestimate its power. That is what we try and show others; that we work together, but we can show that we're not to be disregarded."

"Harmony and Discord," murmured Hanabi before she wrapped the headband around her neck, much like her sister wore her headband.

"It looks good on you," commented the blonde with a smile. "Now c'mon, we have a bit of a trip ahead of us and there are some things I feel I should prepare you for along the way."

"Things like what?"

"Mainly about the inhabitants of Whirlpool. Trust me when I say that you're in for a surprise," he stated with a grin as he led his sisters and new apprentice out of the Hidden Leaf. _'The plan's in motion, Hinata. Let's hope it works...'_

* * *

**And there we are! This ends Chapter Two of this sequel story! Again, I apologize for the LONG wait, but the thing is that a muse is a tricky thing. Sometimes it's there for long periods of time, and sometimes it's just out of your reach.**

**Of course, there are also cases of laziness or things getting in the way (like me STILL trying to find a job), but that's not really your concern. I just hope I find one soon…**

**Also, please vote on my new poll. There're only two choices (_Jak and Daxter_ or _Ratchet and Clank_), and they're probably not sources you guys are familiar with; but I still look forward to your votes!**

**Until next time!**

**pain17ification**


	3. Chapter 3: The Difference of Three Years

**Hi there, everybody and everypony! Here comes the latest update!**

**Please note that I own nothing but this story idea!**

* * *

_Kouma Shōkan: Swirling War_

_Chapter Three: The Difference of Three Years_

* * *

"Alright, the clearing is good enough," called out Naruto, prompting his fellow clan members and new apprentice to stop. Tayuya and Karin knew what was about to happen, so they waited patiently, but Hanabi looked confused.

"Why have we stopped?" she asked.

The blonde Uzumaki gave her a grin. "This is a good opportunity to show you how far fuinjutsu studies can take a person's skillset. You've taken plenty of history classes and lessons; so tell me what was the most famous technique of the Fourth Hokage?"

"The _Flying Raijin_," she answered immediately. "It is what allowed his to instantaneously move about the battlefield and decimate an entire unit of Hidden Stone ninja during the war."

"Nice answer, but what kind of jutsu was it?"

"Based on what you just said, I'm going to say fuinjutsu. But, I'd be lying if I said I didn't think it was at first. I had assumed it was a space-time ninjutsu."

"And so did many other people, but it was actually a seal that he would _flash_ to, which gave him his nickname. It took me some time, but I was able to make my version of it; however, I haven't been able to perform it to the same degree my father did."

She narrowed her eyes slightly, prompting him to explain. But it was Karin that took over, "He can perform and make the seal, but the Fourth Hokage was able to lessen the size of the seal needed so that he could wrap it around kunai handles. Naruto hasn't been able to do so yet; so he needs the seal at full size."

"And the seal is in Shithead's office," Tayuya continued. "He also has one at the Uzumaki Shop back in the Leaf so that he could supply them with stock."

The Hyuuga nodded in understanding. "So basically, he has it but not in a weaponized manner."

"Exactly," Naruto said, giving her a pleased smile. "The reason I didn't use it to arrive earlier was because it might've been taken the wrong way. When I use it for the store, I only stay _within_ the store."

"And if you left, your chakra would be detected in an instant," deduced Hanabi.

"That's correct. Now, we can continue this back home. You need to grab onto one of us," informed Naruto as he placed his hands on Tayuya and Karin's shoulders. The youngest of the group took Karin's offered hand and barely heard Naruto warning her to brace herself before the group was engulfed in a red swirl that collapsed on itself.

Meanwhile, Celestia was looking over paperwork for Naruto while Luna placed them in the proper holders. They had been at it ever since Naruto and his family members had left, and they now knew why he abused his clones so much. The amount was staggering!

Salvation for them came in the form of the floor lighting up with a glow, showing the seal hidden within as Naruto's group appeared in a red swirl spiraling outwards. "Oh, thank heavens," breathed out Celestia as she finished one last form and moved away from the desk. "I don't know how you do it all day, Naruto-kun; even with your clones."

He chuckled at her attitude towards his day-to-day job as village leader. "I had a couple years' worth of practice; along with dozen of clones to call on demand."

"I suppose that _does_ give you the advantage," mused Luna with her own amused look.

Hanabi meanwhile was left with her jaw lowered slightly. Standing before her were two beings that looked like a perfect blend of two creatures she had read in mythic stories as a child. "What…are they?" she asked quietly to Karin.

"They're known as alicorns," explained the Uzumaki. "They're Celestia and Luna, princesses of the Kouma Summon Clan and Cooperative Heads of their Contract."

"Basically kid," began Tayuya, smirking at Hanabi's brow twitching at the title, "they're in charge after Shithead."

Back with the three leaders of the village, Celestia and Luna nodded at Naruto as he finished telling them what had happened. "I see," the Sun Princess said. "It's good that your visit went off without much issue. Although, I'm curious about something."

"And that is?" asked the Uzukage.

"Why did you not speak to Hinata-san? Surely she could've been told that her plan with you is off to a good start."

"That's true, but I don't think she was in the village at the time. Hiashi was there to speak to me about taking Hanabi as my apprentice, and I caught a glimpse of Neji acting as the man's escort. But Hinata wasn't there for anything, which makes me think she was most likely out on a mission." He moved over to his desk and looked at a couple of forms as he asked, "Any news from the Hidden Sand? They had sent an emergency scroll to the Hidden Leaf, which has me curious."

"Not to my knowledge," answered Luna. "There was a scroll from the Hidden Cloud, but not the Sand."

Hanabi tensed at the mention of the village that had almost kidnapped her sister. "What are you doing with the Hidden Cloud?"

"A simple exchange," answered Naruto as he focused on the papers on his desk, signing a couple and putting aside others. "You understand that I'm a Jinchuriki, correct?" He looked up from his desk and at her face, seeing her nod. "I hope that won't be an issue for you? If it is, then tell me now."

She grasped the atmosphere in the room, noting how everyone either had an expressionless face or a curious one. "I have no qualm with it, sensei," she replied, using the proper title for him to show her acceptance. "But what does that have to do with contacting the Hidden Cloud?"

He smiled at her along with the others, though Tayuya had a smirk. "First, I appreciate your acceptance. It's not common that we Jinchuriki are accepted by others. Second, Cloud has two Jinchuriki that hold the Nibi and Hachibi; both of them having fully cooperative Bijuu to assist them. I've contacted them with the hope of learning how they did this, and in exchange I've offered them some of the metal ore on the island for them to use for ironwork. The village is known for its many sword users."

"Ore for learning how to use the Kyuubi's chakra? Is that really a fair trade?" she asked, showing her skepticism.

He smirked at her and pressed a button on his desk, speaking into a small microphone. "Twilight?"

_"Present,"_ she replied, making Luna giggle.

"She acts like she's in school," she commented, teasing her sister who looked slightly embarrassed.

"Could you bring me a sample of the eddium, please?" requested the village leader. (1)

_"Right away!"_ replied the Element of Magic.

"Eddium?" asked Hanabi, totally lost.

"It needed a name," explained Celestia. "We figured that we could utilize a word associated with whirlpools and _eddy_ stood out amongst the rest; thus, the ore was called eddium."

The Hyuuga mouthed the word a couple more times while she noticed a unicorn with a violet cot and dark mane walk in with a rock floating next to her via a purple glow. The rock was set on the desk and Naruto beckoned her over, prompting her to inspect the so-called eddium.

It was…fascinating to her. The rock itself was a maroonish color with naturally swirling patterns in gray all over it. Taking it in her hand, she was surprised when she felt a small pulse of chakra from it and activated her Byakugan to get a better look.

As soon as she saw her surprise, Twilight began to inform the young Hyuuga. "The ore has chakra stored within it naturally. It's unclear how, but the research team has a few theories; some of them a bit morbid, but no less plausible."

"Such as?" asked Hanabi as she saw the core of chakra within the eddium.

"The most morbid is that the soil took in chakra of the many decaying bodies when the village was destroyed and wiped out years ago," Karin stated with a straight voice, betraying nothing while Tayuya frowned slightly.

"…Oh," Hanabi said, honestly unsure of how else to respond. _'I guess I shouldn't have asked…'_

"Anyway," Naruto took over, "since eddium has its own chakra core it, makes it especially valuable as material for weapons; almost to the degree as the metal used in Iron Country and their samurai. So, it's actually quite a fair trade."

She frowned as she put the ore back on the desk. "I still don't think you should associate with the Cloud…"

"Past actions shouldn't dictate current decisions all of the time," advised Naruto. "It was a different Kage who made the order, and the current Raikage has no interest in bringing in new bloodlines when he has his own forces with skills already trained that he can build up."

She kept her frown, but said nothing more as Twilight grabbed the ore and excused herself. Celestia then spoke up. "Perhaps we should move on to something else. When do you plan to train Hanabi-san?"

"Tomorrow," answered Naruto. "I'm going to let her get better acquainted with the layout of the village while I finish the day's work and respond to the Hidden Cloud." He turned to the sister princesses and asked, "Do you two mind staying? I wanted to ask you something concerning Luna."

The Moon Princess was curious about what it was, so she nodded in acceptance alongside her sister while Karin and Tayuya led Hanabi out of the office. Once they were alone, Celestia asked, "What is the issue, Naruto?"

"Nightmare Moon survived her encounter with the Elements of Harmony," he informed them bluntly, surprising them. "I didn't tell you right away because she actually wasn't going to cause any issues for me."

"What do you mean _for you_?" pressed Luna with narrowed eyes.

He sighed with his eyes closing before they opened and they saw the familiar cyan eye coloration of Luna's darker half. "I say _for me_ because she's moved from being within you to my seal; though she has nothing keeping her there."

"How are you okay with this?!" Luna exclaimed. "Do you know what she did to me and nearly did to Ponyville and my sister?!"

"She took over your body and spirit out of jealousy and anger, but the Harmonic Elements purged her of most of her power. As such, she was almost fully gone when I came into your lives due to my chakra reaching out to you all. We made an agreement when I first discovered her continued existence: she supplies me with a greater degree of mana capacity and control while I allow her to continue to live. However, she has recently made a request of me that I wanted to bring to your attention."

"And that is?" Celestia asked with narrowed eyes, showing her own suspicion on the matter.

"I'd rather let her explain," he said while his hand gained an orange outline and a spectral image of the mare in question was presented to the two princesses.

Luna glared at her distrustfully. "Nightmare…"

_"Luna… And Celestia,"_ returned the darker alicorn with a civil nod. _"I see you two are doing well for yourselves since Naruto-san came into your lives."_

"His discovery of our contract was a blessing, yes," agreed the Sun Princess curtly. "What exactly was it that you requested of our summoner?"

_"To put it bluntly, I wish for a chance to walk amongst you and the others; without the need for inhabiting or controlling another person or pony. I requested this of Naruto-san around a week or so, knowing full well that he had no obligation to oblige to it."_ Turning to the Uzukage, she added, _"I'm still surprised you heard me out and are allowing my continued existence."_

"So am I," commented Luna, looking slightly betrayed at Naruto.

"To be fair, I was able to speak and get through to her during these last few years. Through our talks, I believe that I may have been able to get her to see how her past actions were not beneficial for everyone – human and pony alike – as well as for herself. As such, I gave Tsuki-san a chance; risky as it may have been," explained Naruto.

"_Tsuki_?" asked Luna with a scowl. "You gave her a name?"

_"Actually, I had asked him to address me by that name since my title is quite a mouthful. It will also differentiate between us since both names are associated with the Moon,"_ cut in Tsuki. _"He is not to be blamed for any of this since it was all at my request."_

"Sister," Celestia said, making Luna turn to her. "I know you are against it – as you have the right to be – but you know how well Naruto-kun is at helping change those in the wrong for the better; as shown with both Discord and Chrysalis when he was still new at this."

Luna looked between her and Naruto. "I know that…but this is directly linked to me, and I can't help but feel on edge about it…"

"I'm sorry that you feel that way, and if you feel betrayed," Naruto said with a bow. "I didn't want to hurt you at all, but I can feel how much Tsuki has changed. That evil she once exuded is all but gone, and she has a small dose of chaos in her that associates with her past presence. However, it isn't enough to cause concern, and I promise to keep an eye on her." He rose up from the bow and offered the Moon Princess a confident smile. "And you know how I am about my promises."

She looked him in the eye, taking brief glances at Tsuki who stood calmly. "…I still think she's trying to deceive you, Naruto-kun," she began. "But, you've done so much for us already, and I trust you completely with many things. So, I'll accept this if you also promise me that you'll watch yourself around her."

"I will. I've had her in my seal for three years and kept my guard up," he assured. "I'll keep an eye on her."

_"Well, as nice as this is with her proving her trust in you, perhaps you can give me a body now?"_ Tsuki asked, slightly killing the moment.

Nodding, Naruto had a clone head over to Rarity's boutique to fetch an alicorn mannequin. Once the clone returned, he explained, "This will act as the _base shell_ of your new body. I'm going to have a clone begin placing seals on it over the next few days. Once the seals are finished, we'll deposit your mana and core into the _shell_ and activate the seals. Keep in mind Tsuki that this still has a chance at failure and I have no other means of giving you a body."

_"I'll take what I can get,"_ she replied, giving him a grateful smile; though Luna saw a slight gleam in her eye, which was surprising due to her spectral appearance. _"I appreciate this, Lord Uzukage."_

With that, her form vanished and Celestia commented, "You need to be especially careful with her, Naruto-kun. Discord and Chrysalis were one thing since you were able to relate to both in some way."

"But _Tsuki_ was just all of my negativity taken form," continued Luna, almost spitting out the name her darker half gave herself. "I don't know if you have something like that besides the Kyuubi within you."

He frowned at that. "I'm pretty sure that I do, Luna. And if I do, I'll confront it and try to accept it." He turned from them to the window behind his desk, looking down at the happy citizens of the village, as well as spotting his sisters giving Hanabi a tour. "The sad thing is that, even in a harmonious world, everyone has some kind of discord in them. But…to truly have a sense of inner peace, we must learn to accept that we have chaos within us and realize that we're all the same; denizens of the world we cherish and reside in."

"Well spoken, Naruto-sama," stated Chrysalis as she entered his office. She nodded to the two princesses and stood in front of his desk. "I have reports from the Academy for you to look over."

He looked over his shoulder and smiled. "Thanks. Put them on my desk, please." Once she did so, he asked, "How are things?"

She smiled back. "The Academy is doing well, as are my subjects."

"And you?"

"I'm alright, though I'm having a little dilemma that I hope to get through soon."

He gave her a concerned look. "Anything I can do to help?"

She gave him an amused smile and shook her head. "I'm afraid to say that this is a _womanly_ issue, Naruto-sama."

He sighed with his own smile. "I keep telling you that you don't have to call me that…"

"And I keep replying that I will do so because you gave me my life back, Naruto-sama. You deserve no less."

"There's no winning here, is there?" he asked the princesses, his tone playful.

"I'm afraid not," Celestia answered with her own amused tone.

"It's best that you just accept it, _Naruto-sama_," teased Luna, prompting everyone in the room to laugh.

* * *

_"What's your location, Sasori?"_ questioned a holographic image with ringed eyes.

_"We're nearly there, Pein-sama,"_ replied a hunched figure with a cloth covering the lower half of his face. _"At the speed we're going, we'll be there within the hour."_

_"Good. We need to make sure to extract the Ichibi before any retrieval teams find this location."_ The leader, Pein, turned to two of his subordinates. _"Itachi and Kisame, you two will be in charge of ensuring that no teams get through. Understood?"_

_"Understood,"_ replied the Uchiha while his shark-like partner grinned maliciously.

_"Leave it to us, boss."_

_"In the meantime, we'll wait for your arrival, Sasori. Don't keep us waiting,"_ ordered Pein, knowing how the traitor of the Sand felt about punctuality.

With that, all of the images save for his and a woman's faded from the chamber. _"Pein-sama,"_ began the woman, _"Zetsu has informed me that the Hidden Whirlpool has been restored over the last three years. The Kage of the village is the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki, who has been reported to be an Uzumaki with two others at his side."_

_"…"_

The woman had her eyes soften. _"Nagato… The Jinchuriki is your cousin and has brought back your ancestral home. Do you really want to do this to someone who is your family?"_

_"All that concerns me now is detaining the Jinchuriki somehow so that we may extract the Kyuubi within him. My home is here, where I am a god to these poor people."_

The woman's eyes closed sadly, not liking how far the man she had once considered a brother had fallen. _"As you wish…Pein-sama,"_ she said, her hope for him ceasing his current path fading fast.

* * *

"Boss!" cried a female voice as a gray blur crashed into Naruto's office, breaking the window and slamming into a shelf.

"Derpy, are you alright?" asked the Uzukage in concern, knowing how clumsy the mare was.

She dizzily stood up and shook the cobwebs out of her head. "I'm alright! But we got a message from the Sand! I intercepted it from one of their messenger birds!"

She tossed him the scroll and he skimmed over it, frowning at the details. "So…they're making their move now." Looking up, he yelled out, "Celestia, keep an eye on the village! Luna, I need you to start Hanabi's physical training! Get Applejack to help you!"

Celestia stepped into the office while Naruto's peripheral caught a glimpse of Luna flying off towards the village orchards. "What's going on, Naruto?"

"Gaara's been taken from the Sand. I'm going after the ones who took him; Akatsuki."

She gave him a look of concern. "Just you?"

"I'd take others if I knew I had time," he admitted. "But this is an emergency situation and I need to go _now_. Keep an eye on things. I promise to return back in one piece."

As he approached his broken window, Celestia replied, "You'd better. I'd rather not have to explain to the others why the man they love couldn't return."

He gave her a confident smile before jumping out of the window and transforming into his hybrid fox-alicorn form, taking off at high speed with a burst of chakra. As he flew, he caused a massive gust of wind and waves to rise, eyes focused on the direction of Wind Country.

"Gaara…I'm coming," he said into the wind.

* * *

"Alright," Kakashi Hatake began to his current team of Sakura Haruno, a pale teen named Sai, and a fellow Jonin named Yamato, "we're off. With Pakkun, we'll be able to track the Akatsuki easier, but we need to hurry."

"You're not leaving without me," declared an elderly woman by the name of Chiyo. "I'm not missing the chance to reunite with my adorable grandson and give him some rightful punishment."

"Can you keep up, Chiyo-sama?" asked Yamato as professionally as he could so that he didn't come off as insulted.

"Don't treat me like an old woman," she admonished. "I'll be fine, so let's get a move on!"

"I agree," Sai noted. "We're wasting time by talking here."

"Good point," Kakashi conceded. "Let's move!"

With that, the team of five rushed off toward River Country. The whole way, they made sure to use their chakra conservatively so that they had a respectable amount for any surprise opposition. Within a couple of hours, they were out of the desert and into some forestation before they were forced to halt in a clear plain.

Standing before them was a face familiar to Kakashi that also reminded Sakura of the boy she believed she had loved. "Itachi Uchiha…" the silver haired Jonin declared, body tensed for any tricks the kin slayer would try and use.

"It's been a long time, hasn't it Kakashi?" greeted the traitor casually, as if he were an old friend of the Leaf Jonin. "I'm surprised that Naruto-kun isn't with you. Is he back home?"

"I wouldn't know," Kakashi deflected. "I haven't seen him since he left on his training trip."

"I see. Well, no matter since I can just ask him directly," mused the Uchiha before looking up with a faint smirk. "Isn't that right, Naruto-kun?"

The other five looked up and took note of the blonde in question floating above them with large orange wings sprouted from his back. The wings were flapping occasionally, and they looked like the kind found on predator birds while his arms were crossed over his chest. Slowly, he descended and touched the ground in front of the retrieval squad.

"Naruto," greeted Kakashi with a casual tone, happy to see his old student once again.

Without taking his eye off of the Uchiha, Naruto greeted back, "Sensei. Good to see you again after so long. I see you have new team members after Sasuke and I left. We should catch up after this. And Lady Chiyo, it's nice to see you again. I take it you're also out to recover Gaara?"

The elder chuckled at the blonde Kage. "That's part of it. I'm also planning to confront my grandson, Sasori."

"Well, I suppose I should try and wrap this up then," he mused as his wings melded back into his body. "Family reunions should be prioritized after all."

Sakura wanted to speak to Naruto, to try and get some answers about him leaving as well as apologize for everything that had happened in the past. However, her ex-teammate didn't even acknowledge her, so she kept silent and looked to the side in slight shame.

Sai was curious about the Jinchuriki, especially since his true teacher was interested in the blonde. The man had said that Naruto, while no longer a Leaf ninja, would always be an acting supporter of the village and was powerful as both a shinobi and as a piece in political skirmishes. Not to mention the fact that he had successfully attained a Hyuuga apprentice for _fuinjutsu_ of all things was definitely worth praise.

Yamato had heard word of the Uzumaki from his senpai, Kakashi. The man had high praise for the boy turned Clan Head turned Uzukage and he could see why. There was this presence that Naruto gave off; one of both authority and support. It was this presence that made Yamato see that Naruto already had the stance of a leader.

"I believe we missed our first meeting years ago," Itachi began. "I know of you, and I'm sure you know of me; so we can skip the formalities."

"Fine by me. I'm in a hurry, anyway," replied Naruto casually. "Besides, you're not even here, are you?" Seeing the Uchiha's eyes narrow slightly, he continued, "It's a nice jutsu, but it can't hide your true chakra core from someone like myself. Not to mention that the body you're using has more taint than you, Itachi Uchiha."

"Quite observant," praised the Uchiha with the fake body. "I'll have to make sure the others know how dangerous you truly are if you were able to notice this so quickly." His Sharingan morphed into its higher stage as he locked eyes with Naruto, but the blues of the Uzumaki's eyes flashed red with black slits for a split second before returning back to normal. "Genjutsu won't work on you then, I see. I didn't realize you were so in touch with the Kyuubi."

Naruto chuckled as he undid the straps on his forearms and pulled off his gloves. "We're not as close as you think. Fuzzy just doesn't like being controlled by quote _"damn monkeys with pinkeye"_ anymore." He then held up his left palm, revealing a seal that began to give off a green glow. Following the glow was the seal array swirling in on itself and producing a wind tunnel that began to suck in everything facing it.

Itachi narrowed his eyes and used a _Replacement Jutsu_ to disperse into a flock of crows that reformed out of the seal's destructive, yet narrowed, path. "Interesting seal," he commented before he ducked beneath a kick from Kakashi and mule kicked him away. "Now Kakashi, please don't intrude. I'm curious as to what makes the Kage of the new Whirlpool Nation so formidable."

Kakashi ignored the admonishing tone and charged at the man with his right hand erupting his legendary _Lightning Blade_ jutsu. Itachi was able to swerve out of the attack and made to grab the Jonin, but he was engulfed in a plume of smoke before a fist lashed out and struck the Uchiha in the face.

Kakashi steadied himself when he found his new location being next to Naruto. "Nice assist."

"I've increased my precision with my clones over the years and can substitute with them easily. Doing the same with you is no different," Naruto replied with a smirk. He then turned to the others and said, "Go on ahead. Kakashi and I will catch up after we finish things here."

Yamato frowned at that, looking to his superior for clarification. The silver haired Jonin nodded once, making him nod back and lead the others out of the clearing and back on the trail. As they left, Sakura looked back to her more familiar teammates and saw them standing together as if they had fought as partners their entire lives. She sighed despondently, knowing she would never have had that kind of partnership with Naruto in the past.

"You realize that I'm not alone, don't you?" asked Itachi as he calmly walked out of the brush. "They won't get far before they're confronted again."

Kakashi's mask hid the pleased smirk on his face. "Good thing that we weren't the only team dispatched then, ne?"

The Uchiha narrowed his eyes at the argument before he charged, making two _Shadow Clones_ at such speed that Kakashi barely caught the handseal. Naruto took point and matched the clones with his own, but the clones began to lose their natural color and became solid constructs of ice while the original's hands gave off an orange glow. Kakashi helped by pulling out a scroll and running a bloody thumb along the writing inside before it rolled closed and rested above his joined hands, which held a ram seal.

Itachi's clones weaved into the guards of the _Frost Clones_, pulling out kunai and stabbing them deep into their bodies. In fact, the kunai went in a little _too_ deep and it trapped the clones of the Uchiha before Naruto's clones exploded with icicle shards shooting out in all directions, striking down the other clones and dispelling them while the original Uchiha used his dōjutsu to evade them all.

However, he was then stuck in place, body enshrouded by an orange glow while Naruto held both of his hands toward him. "Kakashi, now!"

"_Summoning Earth Style: Fanged Pursuit Jutsu_!" cried out the Jonin, slamming the scroll on the ground, an array spreading out from where it made contact before tunneling was heard.

Itachi's Sharingan caught sight of what was happening and he aimed his eye at Naruto, producing black flames from nowhere that struck the Uzukage in an instant. Naruto was forced to drop his grip on the Uchiha as he dispelled, showing that he was just a clone. Itachi then back flipped away just in time for multiple ninja hounds to break out of the ground and try to sink their fangs into him.

"_Hidden Jutsu: Demonic Mirroring Ice Crystals_!" declared Naruto, using the jutsu of the late woman who he shared an elemental bloodline with. Itachi found himself surrounded by mirrors made of solid ice, each having a reflection of Naruto in them. He then saw the Uzukage images all crouch with dragon handseals. "_Uzumaki Ice Style: Glacial Entrapment_!"

From all of the mirrors, chains made of pure Ice Styled chakra speared outward with their target being the Uchiha Clan's killer. He ducked, weaved, and jumped over dozens of chains and took note of the ground beneath him gaining a solid layer of ice to make traction nonexistent.

He landed after his fifth jump before he lost balance for a moment, but it was enough for a mirror to dispel into powered snow while Kakashi sent in a wolf made of pure Lightning Style chakra right at the Uchiha. With no means to evade, the man took the lightning jutsu head-on and was electrocuted by the wolf's fangs sinking into his arm. To finish it off, Naruto blurred past the Uchiha and swiped a kunai with an extended chakra blade, the handle wrapped in his infamous _Chakra Severing_ seal tag.

"It's done," the blonde declared as he put away his kunai and ended his jutsu, staring down at the fallen Uchiha. "For a false body, you put up a good fight. I'm sure the outcome would've been different if it was _truly_ you I was facing."

The man coughed and gave a weak chuckle. "Perhaps… Perhaps not… To be honest, I'm pleased that you're this strong, Naruto-kun," he stated as Kakashi moved to stand next to Naruto. "You're almost ready for everything that will come for you; but remember to keep your eyes open… Look underneath the underneath…"

Kakashi looked thoughtful while Naruto nodded with a firm visage. "I understand… See you around, Crow."

The man chuckled again at being reminded of the ANBU title he had when he helped keep an eye on Naruto. "Looking forward to it…" he said before his form rippled and showed a dead Sand ninja.

Kakashi let Naruto have a moment to think quietly before he spoke up. "We better get moving, Naruto."

Nodding, Naruto followed his old sensei and shot the dead man one last look. Turning back forward, he produced his wings once more and hoisted Kakashi up into the air, flying after the rest of the Leaf ninja.

They still had a Kazekage to save.

* * *

**1~ Eddium is my own name for the ore in the Land of Whirlpools**

**And that's the third chapter of the crossover sequel! This chapter was mainly meant to inform you guys of things that will happen later on and show a glimpse of how far Naruto's training has taken him. Hanabi's training will truly begin when he returns, and I even plan to have her sign the contract and have her own personal summons (like how the Mane Six are Naruto's personal summons).**

**In case you didn't notice, I made a change to how mana is used. Instead of chants, it will be just like magic is portrayed in the **_**MLP**_** franchise. Naruto's natural glow is orange (no surprise there) while Hanabi will have her own glow.**

**Also, I plan to do a final FINAL set of One Shots concerning an _MLP_ cross! These last two will be for Princesses Luna and Celestia, in that order! Keep an eye out for them because I hope to make them great!**

**Until next time!**

**pain17ification**


	4. Chapter 4: Kazekage Retrieval Mission

**Hi there! Here comes the next update!**

…**sorry that it took so long…**

**Please note that I own nothing but this story idea!**

* * *

_Kouma Shōkan: Swirling War_

_Chapter Four: Kazekage Retrieval Mission_

* * *

"I'm impressed with how much you've grown, Naruto," Kakashi commented as Naruto carried him through the air by his underarms. "Your Ice Style has greatly improved, and that seal back there was interesting."

"Thanks, sensei," Naruto replied as his wings tucked closer to his form, increasing their speed across the air. "I had a very productive three years, and it wasn't just in my personal training."

"Yes, I hear that the Hidden Whirlpool is doing very well. Did you happen to make any sort of deal with Lady Tsunade?"

Nodding the Uzukage answered, "Yes, I did. But I'll tell you more about it later. We've caught up with the others." He tensed and looked off in another direction. "Looks like Guy's team dealt with the other fake Akatsuki member and are already heading for the others."

When the two of them landed, they took note of the remaining members of Team Kakashi standing on a river in front of a very large boulder. The boulder was blocking the entrance to a cavern and was held in place by a seal tag. As soon as Naruto had his wings meld back into his body, Team Guy arrived on the scene.

"Kakashi, my youthful rival!" greeted the green clad Jonin exuberantly. "I see your team made it before us! We'll just have to be faster next time!"

The silver haired Jonin could only sigh at his self-proclaimed rival. "Sure, Guy… All things considered, it's good that you and your team got here so quickly. We should have the advantage now, considering who we have aiding us."

That last comment was followed by Kakashi turning to Naruto, who was focusing his sights on the sealing tag on the boulder. Team Guy looked surprised at seeing the blonde once more, and Lee took it upon himself to greet him.

"Naruto-san! How wonderful it is to see you again!" he exclaimed joyfully.

Due to being so focused on the seal, the Uzukage didn't hear the Chunin. Turning to regard Lee, Naruto asked, "You say something?"

This resulted in various responses. Firstly, Lee looked shocked before going on a cursing rant about how "hip" Naruto was. Second, Guy was cursing Kakashi for passing down his "hip ways" onto Naruto. Thirdly, Kakashi had an amused and almost proud look on his face at how Naruto had unknowingly copied him in response to a Youthful Exclamation. And lastly, the others either sweatdropped or face palmed at the whole scenario.

Naruto looked lost before shrugging and leaping up onto the boulder to get a closer look at the seal tag. "Hmm… Looks like it's a Five Point Barrier tag," he explained for the others. "Normally, a seal like this would need four other people to go and find the other tags while the fifth stays with the main one."

"Meaning they need to be removed simultaneously then?" asked Sakura, earning a nod from her ex-teammate.

"Exactly. But like I said; that's _normally_." He gave a small grin and added, "Not many people take into account how effective clones can be in a situation like this." As he said this, four copies of himself shot away from his crouching form and sought out the remaining tags. The real Naruto had his eyes closed as he sensed what his clones were experiencing. After a few minutes, he felt that they had reached the tags and, as one, the five versions of the Uzukage pulled the sealing tags. "All good!"

Sakura smirked at that and cracked her knuckles before rushing at the boulder, shattering it in one punch. Fortunately, Naruto was able to sense her buildup of chakra and felt it was very familiar to how a certain Hokage built up theirs. His assumption was spot-on and he held a deadpan expression at what he was witnessing.

_'Way to go, Granny… You made a pink haired copy of yourself… Let's just hope Sakura wont drink or gamble in the future…'_

With the boulder out of the way, and the clones easily dispelling the traps from the other four tags, the group of ten stepped into the cavernous base of the Akatsuki just in time to see Gaara floating in midair while the chakra and life force of the Ichibi was being forcibly siphoned from his body.

_**"****Well now… Seems like these humans have found the method of stealing us from Jinchūriki,"**_ Kyuubi noted, making Naruto frown. _**"From what I can feel, the process is also killing your friend. A shame, really. He wasn't bad as far as humans went."**_

_'What about that statue deeper in?'_

_**"****That thing is a relic that only has one purpose. I'll tell you what it is later. You have a battle on your hands."**_

Naruto refocused just in time to lock eyes with the hologram on the head of the statue. Arctic blue eyes met pale purple ones that held rings around the pupils. _"The Uzukage himself has graced us with his presence. Interesting…"_

Deidara, the Mad Bomber of the Hidden Stone, grinned insanely at the others. "Looks like you idiots arrived too late, hm! Take a good long look at the Kazekage while he still has some life left!"

Sasori of the Red Sand sighed gruffly. "I swear you talk too much, Deidara…" He turned his head to the eldest of the group and sighed again. "Of course she would come…"

_"Deidara, Sasori,"_ began Pein, _"be sure not to accidentally kill the Uzukage. He holds the Kyuubi after all."_

Naruto showed no reaction to that reveal, even when the others, save for the Leaf Jonin, looked surprised at it. Instead, he had a pair of chains poke out of his back and sink into the ground, slowly moving towards Gaara's position while he made a show of pulling out a kunai and a sealing tag. Wrapping the tag around the handle, he activated his Chakra Severing Tag and tossed it to Tenten, who caught it easily.

"I hope your skills haven't dulled over the years," he commented, earning a smirk from her.

"Still as sharp as every edge in my arsenal," she replied easily, giving the extended edge of the kunai a couple of practice swings before nodding. "Nice length, by the way."

Kakashi took charge. "Looks like there are only two members here physically. We'll split up to handle them, taking them both on 5:1."

Naruto gave Kakashi an amused look and said, "You must feel proud about being able to order a Kage around, Kakashi."

This only earned him the famous eye-smile of the Hatake. "But of course. It's been a secret goal of mine to order around one of the other Kage."

Naruto shook his head at that. "Well, that will have to stay a goal."

As soon as he finished, his two chains shot upward from the ground directly beneath Gaara, wrapping around the Kazekage while Naruto's chakra acted as a repellent for the Akatsuki's. With a jerk of his head, the chains fully broke free from the ground, making two parallel trenches as they pulled Gaara away from the sealing jutsu and to the safety of the others.

"I'm taking over here," Naruto continued, speaking like the Village Leader he was. "Sakura!" she jumped in surprise, but gave Naruto her undivided attention. "Stabilize Gaara. Guy, Lee, and Neji, you three will run the frontline against that Deidara guy; the blonde one."

Neji nodded immediately, his training to respect his superiors coming forth. "Yes, sir."

Guy shared a look with his protégé before the two of them shot forward at high speed, both of them giving a cry of, "YOUTH!"

"Kakashi, you and Lady Chiyo take on Sasori. She knows how he fights and your Sharingan will give you an advantage," continued Naruto, still speaking like a leader as Sakura moved over to Gaara and did what Naruto told her to for the Kazekage. He then turned to Yamato and Sai, looking thoughtful. "I honestly don't know what you two are good at, so I want you both to help out Kakashi and Lady Chiyo against Sasori."

Yamato nodded and took point with his superior while Chiyo unsealed two puppets and had them fly towards her grandchild. As for Sai, he pulled out some ink and a brush before using it to create five ink lions that sprung to life and charged alongside the puppets.

"What about me?" Tenten asked.

"You have the most experience with sealing arts compared to the others," he confessed. "I'm going to need your help with unsealing the stolen chakra from that statue." He pointed to the massive statue that the Akatsuki holograms stood on. "Worst comes to worst, I'm going to need you to help me cut into the chakra and destroy it. Whatever the Akatsuki want with the chakra of the Nine Bijuu can't be anything good; so it'd be better to destroy it if we can't reclaim it."

She nodded. "Got it. After you, _Lord Uzukage_," she teased with a smirk. She remembered when he was still a runt dressed in orange years back. She found him admittedly to be cute with his determination and resolve, but she was glad to see how much he had matured over the years.

As the ten ninja did their jobs, Pein spoke to his subordinates. _"This was, regrettably, a failure. Deidara, Sasori, don't let them near the statue. Dispose of them and return to base as soon as you can."_ With that order, he and the other holograms vanished, leaving the partnered Akatsuki duo to deal with their adversaries.

"Easier said than done, hm," grumbled the Mad Bomber before he created a clay bird that enlarged with a burst of smoke and flew towards the male members of Team Guy. Sasori stood his ground as Kakashi and Yamato charged at him alongside his old puppets and those peculiar ink creations.

_'Better make this quick. Lord Pein doesn't like to be kept waiting,'_ he mused before opening his jaw and firing a continuous volley of poisoned senbon needles.

Meanwhile, Naruto had two clones make a barrier to protect Sakura as she focused on Gaara. He then ran up the rock wall with Tenten and the two raced for the statue by running across the ceiling. _'Any ideas on how to get Shukaku's chakra back from that thing, Fox?'_

_**"****Search for the largest gathering of it and try to siphon it from there. If that fails, then try to destroy it from the inside. And if that fails…attack the statue with everything you've got."**_

The blonde Kage nodded grimly as he and his current partner continued to head for the statue.

* * *

Kakashi, with his Sharingan revealed, rolled away from another burst of senbon before he unleashed a Grand Fireball at Sasori. Unfortunately, the puppet user substituted with some upturned rubble before trying to skewer Yamato with his bladed tail stinger. The man blocked this with a surprising use of Wood Style in the form of a dome-shaped shield.

As soon as the stinger was plunged into the wood, Yamato had more wooden tendrils erupt from the ground and wrap around the tail, holding it in place. Sasori narrowed his eyes at this in annoyance before he detached the right arm of his puppet Hiruko, and had it shoot towards his opponents. With an explosive bang, the arm fired shrapnel and senbon in every direction, forcing Kakashi to erect a Mud Wall to defend himself while Yamato was still protected by his Wood Dome. Chiyo used the Mother and Father puppets to cover her form while the Mother puppet used its arm machinations to create a solid shield of chakra. As for Sai, he had his lions take hits for him while he used his tanto blade to deflect any that got too close.

Kakashi then created an illusionary clone to rush towards Sasori, using it as a distraction for him to use the Body Flicker to attach himself to the ceiling directly above the Akatsuki member. When he saw Sasori take the bait, he kicked off the rocky ceiling and shot downward, his right hand sparking with his signature technique. "Lightning Blade!" he roared, breaking through the Hiruko puppet with ease.

Unfortunately, Sasori's real body leapt away in time to not take the hit. Scoffing in annoyance, the redheaded Akatsuki member unsealed another puppet; this one with a mane of blue hair and golden eyes. Seeing his grandmother's look of shock made him smirk.

"You didn't…" she begged.

"Oh, I did," he corrected. "Say hello to the Third Kazekage, the Master of the Iron Sand!"

* * *

"Eight Trigrams: Air Palm!" Neji cried as he fired a concentrated burst of air from his hand to intercept another flying bomb. "Palm Rotation!" he then spun in place and activated his ultimate defense to block more bombs that came at him from all sides. As soon as he finished spinning, he leapt away while Lee leapt forward with one of his signature moves.

"Leaf Hurricane!" he exclaimed, trying to kick the flying mount that Deidara rode on. Unfortunately, the clay bird glided higher, moving just out of Lee's range.

But unknown to Deidara, Lee's attack was actually a feint, and it moved him directly in range for…

"Dynamic Entry!"

…a heavy diving kick from the Green Beast of the Hidden Leaf. With a cry of pain and surprise, the Mad Bomber was dismounted and fell towards the ground. He was about to form another clay bird, but he was forced to substitute with his previous one when Neji leapt up to intercept his descent. The clay bird took a big blow from the Gentle Fist strike, disrupting the chakra within it and causing it to erupt in a mess of brittle clay that was harmless upon impact.

"Dammit, hm!" Deidara cursed before he went through handseals with his remaining arm. _'Been a long time since I used any other jutsu… Dammit, using one hand is taking too damn long!'_ he cursed with a mental cringe before he slammed his hand on the ground. "Earth Style: Precipice Blades!" he roared, his jutsu making spikes erupt all around him in hopes of skewering his annoying opponents.

Unfortunately for him, Guy and Lee were much too quick and easily leapt away while Neji used his Palm Rotation once again, shattering any spikes that shot up from the ground around his form. While the jutsu was a failure, it did give Deidara enough space to dig his hand into more clay and shape it into a serpent. When it was activated, it grew to be the size of an apartment room with Deidara standing on the serpent's head with a mad look on his face.

"I'm not finished yet, hm!"

* * *

Naruto furrowed his brows as his palm rested against the statue, eyes closed as he concentrated. He hand Tenten do the same after giving her a basic description of what Bijuu chakra felt like. While she wasn't a natural sensor like he was, she did know what chakra felt like. So, she was able to make a solid attempt at finding the largest source of the Ichibi's chakra sealed into the weird statue.

"Anything yet?" asked Naruto, slowly moving his hand across the surface of the statue.

"Not yet…" she answered in irritation. "Where the hell would they place that chakra in something this big?"

"This thing is big enough for them to choose any number of specific spots," Naruto growled out, opening his eyes to scan the statue visually. "But if I had to make a guess," he continued as he leapt up to the face of the statue, scowling at the many closed _eyes_ it had, "I'd say that it's in one of these eyes."

Leaping up beside him, Tenten started to try and locate the Ichibi chakra in one of the eyes while Naruto checked another. It was she who found it when she felt the heaviness and maliciousness of the chakra from one of the eyes.

With a shudder, she stepped back and called Naruto over. "This one," she said as he felt the energy for himself.

"…Yep, that's Shukaku's chakra alright," he sighed out. "Stab the chakra blade into the eye, Tenten."

"You sure?" He nodded once. "Alright then…" She complied with his order, stabbing it directly in the center of the eye; showing the perfect aim she was famous for.

Standing behind her, Naruto had four chakra chains stab around the eye socket, each bladed point stabbing at a cardinal point (North, East, South, and West) with the chakra blade in the very center. He then handed Tenten a sealing tag with a difficult design on it as he sat down in a lotus position.

"I need you to place that tag on my back when I say so. I'm going to try to draw out the chakra into my chains while the chakra blade you used keeps the Bijuu chakra from settling. Once it settles, it will be fully absorbed into the statue, so we need it to stay _active_."

She eyed the tag, amazed at the intricacy of the design. "What will this do?"

"It will temporarily store Shukaku's chakra inside of it. Hopefully I can return it to Gaara's body before the tag destabilizes since Bijuu chakra is _incredibly_ difficult to handle. Now, I need to concentrate. Wait for my call."

"Got it," she answered, crouching behind him with the tag ready to be placed at a moment's notice.

* * *

"Iron Sand unleash!" Sasori cried out with a manic look on his puppet face. It had been revealed by Chiyo that he had turned himself into a puppet; even though he himself called it "becoming art".

With the use of the Third Kazekage's control of Magnet Style, the poisoned grains of iron sand took shape in the air and flew at the four ninja facing the Red Scorpion. When the ninja dodged the attacks, they also had to take into account how the sand would branch out erratically, making it increasingly difficult to not get cut; especially when Chiyo only had one vial of antidote that she and Sakura had made when healing Kankuro back in the Hidden Sand.

Chiyo used the Mother and Father puppets with incredible efficiency against the Third Kazekage puppet, their weapons clashing in a flurry of strikes and parries and with such speed that Kakashi had to use his Sharingan to witness it clearly.

When their exchange broke off, their puppets' weapons were badly damaged to the point of being practically useless. Kakashi decided to act by preparing his Sharingan to be used with its advanced stage; the Mangekyō. Seeing that his superior needed time to prepare, Yamato turned to Sai and ordered, "Cover me!"

The ink user nodded and summoned forth another pride of ink lions while also creating a large ink bird to ride on over Sasori. With his lions on the ground, Sai attacked from the air with a relentless barrage of kunai and shuriken; both naturally made and ink-created. Meanwhile, Yamato was using Earth Style to send forth his own onslaught of man-sized stones that were launched at Sasori and his puppet. Beside him was a Wood Clone who was shooting forth continuous shots of Water Bullets.

Chiyo wasn't sitting idly by as this went one though. She had the puppets she was using grab some of the deflected kunai knives and attack Sasori's puppet relentlessly. She kept glancing at the son of the White Fang, noting how he had a handseal in front of his implanted eye while he took a knee, remaining motionless to focus more clearly. _'Hurry up, brat,'_ she urged mentally.

"Kamui!" was suddenly heard coming from Kakashi, and the four others were shocked to see a distortion form within the body of the Kazekage puppet before it was absorbed inward and vanished into nothingness with a mess of splinters falling harmlessly onto the stone floor. They were left in their shocked states as Kakashi gripped around his eye at the backlash of his technique. "Finish him off!"

Sasori growled at the loss of his favorite puppet, and he removed his cloak before summoning one hundred puppets. It was his ultimate technique; Red Secret Technique: Performance of a Hundred Puppets. "Welcome to Hell," he sneered before he sent forth his army of puppets.

Chiyo frowned at their odds, so she sealed away the Mother and Father before unsealing her own trump card. From the smoke, ten puppets in white cloaks were revealed, and Chiyo declared, "White Secret Technique: The Chikamatsu Collection of Ten Puppets!"

The Performance took on the Collection in an epic duel of puppetry and the Leaf ninja were left impressed, awed, and silenced at the battle before them. Chiyo's ten puppets were like a machine; each puppet playing a part that worked towards a common goal: defeating Sasori.

By the time the clash had ended, the ceiling of the cave had been broken through and revealed the sunlight from outside. The red cloaked puppets had been defeated and Sasori had been pinned in place by the puppets made in the likeness of his parents; the Mother and Father.

"Damn," he cursed, smiling woodenly through his puppet face. "I didn't think the old bat still had that much left in her… I had hoped…to have my art last longer than this… But, some things aren't meant to be eternal…"

"Sasori…" whispered Chiyo, saddened at having to kill her own grandchild.

"Don't weep for me, old woman," he admonished weakly. "I won't be pitied by you in death." He turned his head shakily to Kakashi, control weakening as he neared death's grip. "Kakashi…I have something for you… Call it a reward for defeating me…"

While he frowned at what this _reward_ could imply, he decided to hear the dying Akatsuki member out.

* * *

"Dammit!" cursed Deidara as he rolled across the ground ungracefully, having been double-kicked by Guy and Lee with a combined Dynamic Entry. Before he could stop his tumble, he was hit by compressed air from the Hyuuga and sent flying into his downed clay serpent. _'Shit, that hurts! Damn these bastards!'_

"It's over!" declared Guy with his two students standing on either side of him. "Give up! You can't win against our combined youth!"

Neji had to _seriously_ resist the urge to face palm at that. _'Don't rope me into your antics!'_

Deidara growled at them, angered at his obvious disadvantage and inevitable loss. _'I'm not out of this yet, hm! Not by a long shot!'_ He then turned in place and starting ripping off clay with his teeth, chewing it like a wild animal and eating as much as he could. His actions shocked the others, but Neji still had his Byakugan active and saw the buildup of chakra.

"He's turning himself into a living explosive!" he exclaimed.

"That's right, hm! Now…get ready to become my art!" His chakra began to fluctuate wildly. "True art is short and radiant!" It became more and more unstable. "There is no equal to its beauty!" It reached its critical point. "True art…" It spiked. "…IS AN EXPLOSION!"

"MOVE!" Neji yelled as he and his teammates got ready to leap.

But they were saved when four golden chains erupted from the ground, wrapping tightly around Deidara, much to his surprise. To the surprise of Neji, the chains instantly calmed down the erratic chakra, bringing it down to a stable level before suppressing it even further.

"Sorry," they heard Naruto say as he walked over to the Mad Bomber. "You won't be becoming one with your art today." He then slapped a seal tag on the man, weakening him even more. As the man's enraged eyes dimmed and his eyes began to shut, Naruto finished, "Take a rest. You have a bed waiting for you in the Hidden Sand Prison."

With that, the two Akatsuki were taken down, Gaara had been saved and stabilized by Sakura, and the mission was declared a success.

* * *

Naruto was sitting on a chair in Gaara's personal room in the hospital, reading a scroll that had been delivered by Derpy about an hour before. He smirked at how the report by Karin noted how impatient Hanabi was becoming at her training not starting yet.

"Looks like she's a black sheep Hyuuga like Hinata-chan," he mused with a chuckle. "That's good. They could certainly use a change from their old ways."

The door to the room opened and Naruto turned his attention to Temari as she entered. "He still resting?"

"Yeah," answered the Uzumaki. "Can't blame him though; not after everything he's been through recently."

"I know." She moved over to her youngest brother's side, resting her hand on his arm. "I was so terrified…" she whispered.

"I don't doubt that," replied Naruto. "If anything had happened to my family, I'd be just as scared." He closed his eyes, thinking of the Ponies, the Princesses, Discord, Chrysalis, and his sisters. He couldn't imagine them in some kind of peril; nor did he want to. "He'll be okay, Temari. We got to him in time, Sakura was able to stabilize him, and Shukaku has been fully restored inside of his seal. I also made sure that his seal was fully secured again. Just let him rest."

She took a deep breath and nodded. "I know…" Turning to him, she moved over and leaned down over his seated form to embrace him. "Thank you for bringing him back… Thank you, Naruto…"

He smiled and rubbed her back soothingly. "You don't need to thank me. Gaara is my brother too, after all. Of course I'd go after him."

She chuckled trough her building tears, pulling away from her fellow blonde so she could wipe them away. "I should've known you'd say something like that." Her smile warmed and softened as she finished, "I'm glad we met you, Lord Uzukage."

He slumped comically at the respectful title, making her chuckle again as she left the room. As she left, she fought back full-blown laughter at how he moaned pitifully at "stupid formalities".

* * *

Gaara, fully recovered and rested, faced his rescuers from foreign villages. A grateful smile was on his face as he bowed to them all. "You all have my thanks for your efforts. The Hidden Sand is in debt to the Leaf and Whirlpool. I'll be sure to send a message to Lady Hokage about this soon."

Kakashi eye-smiled modestly. "It wasn't much trouble, Lord Kazekage. We're always happy to aid our allies." He and the other Leaf ninja all bowed in farewell before he turned to his old student. "I look forward to hearing more about your endeavors, Lord Uzukage."

Slumping once more, Naruto moaned, "Not you too, sensei…" This caused everyone to chuckle before the Leaf ninja took off.

However, before she did, Sakura moved over to her estranged teammate, fidgeting nervously. "Naruto… I wanted to… I mean, I was hoping to…"

He listened to her try to come up with the right words for a few moments longer before silencing her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. When her green eyes met his blue ones, he asked, "Clean slate?"

Her eyes widened at the offer before she smiled brightly and nodded. "Yes. I'd like that, Naruto." She then moved in and hugged him tightly, clutching the back of his robe. "…thank you…"

Naruto let her hold onto him without any resistance, and he smiled at her warmly as she took off before turning to his fellow Jinchūriki. "Well, I'll see you soon, brother."

Nodding, Gaara shook hands with his fellow Kage before the two of them embraced in a brotherly manner. "I'll look forward to it, brother."

When Naruto pulled away, he grinned at the rest of the Hidden Sand citizens before he unleashed his wings and took off, shooting into the air like a missile before heading towards his home with a sonic boom.

He had grown slightly homesick over the course of the mission, and his Firecracker of an apprentice was no doubt eager to begin her training.

* * *

**Tada! That's chapter four! About damn time, huh? *sheepish grin***

**All things aside, I really am glad that my muse isn't dead for this story! Let's hope it stays that way, yeah?**

**Next chapter begins Hanabi's training as the apprentice of the Uzukage! How will she do when her lessons begin?**

**Off topic, I'm in the midst of planning out a **_**Bleach**_** crossover with the pairing being Naruto and Orihime Inoue! Let me know what you guys think!**

**Until next time!**

_**~pain17ification~**_


End file.
